Automatic boiler-feeder



(No Model.)

G. B. HUTCHINGS. AUTOMATIC EoILEE FEEDER.

No. 469,250. vIEtelned Feb. Z3, 1892.

'mi nonms persas do., PND-muws., w/Lsmumml, n. e.

" ATENT OrnicE.

GEORGE B. IIUTOHINGS, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.`

AUTOMATIC BONER-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,250, dated February 23, 18921.

(No model.)

.To CZZZ whomzl may concern: y

Be it known that I, GEORGE BENJAMIN I-IUTCHINGS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State ot' Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Feed for Steam-Boilers, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact 4description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My. invention relates to improvements in automatic mechanism for regulating the feedsupply of water to a boiler or a battery of boilers and maintaining a constant supply from a steam-pump.

The objects are to supply mechanism Whereby a supply of steam may be led to the pump from each boiler as the water-level lowers and a supply of water furnished the boiler from the pump.

My invention consists in the Heat-operative Valves interior t0 the boiler and the details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and more spectically pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a verticallongitudinal section of a boiler supplied with my device. Fig. 2 isa view in vertical section ot the steam-inlet valve and float. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the waterinlet and actuating iioat.

In the drawings, A represents the interior of the boiler, B the live-steam pipe leading to the pump, and C a short cylinder secured by a thread to the extremity of the steam-pipe and provided with the head C.

D is the hollow metallic float, provided with the stem CZ.

E is a cylindrical valve Working within the cylinder O and reciprocated by the Valve-stem 1, which Works in the guide E, depending from the head C and the link E2, the pivot and fulcrum for the lever CZ being found at eS on the bracket G, which also may be attached to the steam-pipe I3', a nut I-I being employed to clamp all the parts together. Ports c c in the cylinder C and e e in the valve E admit steam into the steam-pipe B when they coincide and instantly cut it oft when they have passed.

spending lowering of the iioat the valve will rise until the port-openings coincide and the steam will pass readily through them to 0perate the pump. An auxiliary pipe J is shown, which may be used in case any accident should happen to the device.

It is apparent that this device would be quite sufticient to insure a supply of water to a single boiler, the valves operating automatically to admit water and steam to the pipes or shut them off, as the water-level should require; but it Will be seen that when used in connection with a battery of boilers, although any one device `would admit steam to the pump in case the boiler in which it was contained should become low, still there would be no way of telling what boiler needed more Water or what water-valve to open. For this reason a special contrivance is necessary to open the Water-inlet valve from the pump simultaneously with the opening of the steaminletvalve in the same boiler. For this reason I employ a special valve for this purpose to be used in combination with the steamvalve and accessory thereto and similarly actuated by a separate iioat or by a rod directly connected with the iioat of the steam-valve. The Valve mechanism is shown distinctly in Fig. 3, where L is an open cylinder provided with four or more perforations Z Z, registering with similar openings m m in the closed cylindrical valve M. One of these openings Z Z connects directly with the water-pipe P from the pump. The others in the outer cylinder open on all sides, so as to equalize the pressure upon the valve. y

In operation it will be seen that when the ioat N or other float to which the stem M may be attached rises it cuts off the openings and the water-supply, but when it falls it brings them together and permits an iniiow from the pump. For the reasons before mentioned it is desirable to have the Water-valve coincident with the steam-valve in its movements and operated by the same cause. Zhen there is danger of erratic movement in the IOO float from the ebnllition of steam on the surface of the Water, a shield, as X, may be employed to protect it from any such influence, 4the shield being fastened to the tubes or boiler-sheet.

I do not claim as my invention the exact shape or manner of arrangement of the details of the Various parts or their specific manner of connection; but

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The improved mechanism for automatically regulating the feeding of Water into a steamboiler, consisting of a steam-outlet pipe in the top of the boiler, a Water-inlet pipe in the bottom of the same, a sliding valve in the end of the steam-outlet pipe, a guide depending from the end of the said pipe, a rod E', depending from the said valve and passing through the said guide, a bracket secured to the end of the said pipe, a lever pivoted to the lower end of the said bracket and carrying a oat on one end, a link connecting said lever with the rod E', a sliding valve in the end of the water-inlet pipe, a rod M', rising from the said valve, and a lever pivotally supported at the top of the boiler and having one end provided with a float and its other end pivoted to the rod M as specified.

WM. M. MONROE, F. H. MOORE'. 

